One Night (Short Story)
by E.S.mangalover
Summary: In the middle of the night, Sasuke wakes up to find Sakura waiting outside his window. Irritated, Sasuke allows her to come in and she makes an unforgettable request that changes their entire relationship. Just as Sasuke realizes he harbors feelings for Sakura, his world is turned upside down when he finds out the real reason behind her request.


One Night (Short Story)

Sasuke x Sakura

All Characters and Rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto

**Author's Note: First and foremost, this is a mini-story, only one chapter. I was originally going to scrap it, but I really liked the concept so I decided to continue it and it turned into a mini story. On that note, the characters are over 18 (early 20's) and it is a bit suggestive. Besides that, I hope you enjoy and feel free to tell me what you think. **

* * *

*tap* *tap*

Sasuke groaned as an irritating noise woke him up from his light slumber. He had gotten back from a mission an hour ago and was hoping to get some sleep before his meeting with Tsunade in the morning. Hoping that the noise was just a figment of his imagination, Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep again.

*tap*

Sasuke's eyes flew open as he quickly got out of bed. With a quick glance at his alarm clock, he saw that is was 4 am. A glare marred his face as he walked over to the window to see who had the audacity to bother him at this time. As he opened the window, another pebble came flying at him and he quickly caught it before it made contact with his face.

"Shit. Sorry Sasuke."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow as he looked down to see his ex team member, Sakura standing outside his window. Of course only she would dare to bug him this late. It amazed him how much she irked him and he really didn't even understand why he disliked her so much.

"What do you want?"

Apparently she didn't hear the cold tone in his voice when he muttered those words, because she broke into a smile. He blinked as he saw her smile. Recently, she hadn't been smiling often and sadly, it was the one trait that he actually tolerated about her. Well...more than tolerated. He liked her smiles because they were contagious. He caught himself just as his lips were about to stretch into a smile.

"Well?"

"Can I come up?"

"Why? Don't you know what time is it?"

"Please Sasuke. It's really important."

He heard the urgency in her voice. Was something wrong? With a sigh Sasuke nodded and watched as she quickly climbed up to his window. He watched her, fascinated because she reminded him of a cat. Her chakra control was amazing, which explained why she had been able to master the trick of standing upside down on a tree branch. He remembered that Naruto and him had a lot of difficulty trying to learn that technique. Of course, he figured it out before that baka did.

"Hey, can you give me your hand real quick?"

Sasuke complied and reached out as Sakura grabbed his calloused hand. Hers felt so soft against his. With a tug Sakura was in Sasuke's room and she was inches away from him. She quickly released Sasuke's hand and brushed off the dirt that had accumulated on her while she was making her way to Sasuke's window. Her action brought Sasuke's attention to her outfit which was different from what he normally saw her wear. Instead of her usual shirt and skirt combo, she was dressed in a flimsy night gown that was deep red and barely reached her knees. Alarm bells began ringing in Sasuke's head and he immediately grabbed his blanket and tossed it at her. Why was she wearing that so late at night and how could she allow herself to climb up to his window dressed like that?

"Oh, I don't need that Sasuke."

"Wrap yourself in the blanket."

She had heard the commanding tone his voice had taken and decided it was best to follow his instructions, especially if she wanted him to do what she asked.

"Now, why the hell are you here? I need to be up early."

"I have a request and only you can do it."

"Why not ask Naruto, I'm sure he would be more than willing to do it."

"No...it has to be you."

Sasuke heard her voice quiver and sighed. It must be something serious.

"Alright, what is it?"

"I want you to sleep with me."

Time stood still as Sasuke processed her request. He couldn't be sure if he was hearing her correctly.

"Come again."

"I want you to sleep with me."

"...Why?"

"Because I've always loved you."

Sasuke was trying to get his mind functioning again. This was not a request he expected to hear from Sakura.

"I think you are better off asking Naruto. I mean he has always liked you..."

"NO! I told you it has to be you."

Sasuke looked up to see tears begin to fill Sakura's green eyes. Damn, he wasn't good at dealing with crying girls.

"Hey...don't cry...come on..."

He reached his hand out to comfort Sakura but was surprised to see her reach out and take his hand to caress her cheek. Tears were still in her eyes as she looked at him.

"I know you think I'm annoying Sasuke and you aren't interested in a girl like me...but please fulfill my request tonight. I promise you, I will never bother you again."

Sasuke's expression did little to show the inner turmoil he was dealing with. On one hand, it was appealing that she would leave him alone if he just slept with her, plus it would make her stop crying. But, it would be against his conscious. She should wait until she meets someone who loves her back to do something like this.

"Please Sasuke."

Her tone was nothing short of begging which caused Sasuke to make his decision.

"Fine, but I'm telling you. This means nothing and you promise to leave me alone after tonight."

Sakura nodded her head in response. She looked relieved and a little scared. Sasuke could only shake his head as he realized what he had just agreed to.

"Well...come here."

Sasuke motioned for Sakura to walk towards him and she hesitated at first but she agreed. Slowly she approached him and allowed the blanket to drop from her shoulders. For the first time, Sasuke actually looked at Sakura. He saw her pink hair that reminded him of cherry blossoms and her bright green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark room. His eyes trailed down her body, taking in her curves and smooth skin that was the same shade of ivory. She was pretty, there was no doubt about that. He was starting to see why Naruto had a crush on her for so many years.

"Um Sasuke?"

Sasuke broke from his thoughts and looked back at Sakura's face which was tinted with a faint blush. She was biting her lip making them turn red. She was nervous, that much was obvious. It seemed that he would be the one tasked with teaching her the art of seduction. Thankfully, there were more than enough girls that had thrown themselves at him over the years. He was experienced...but it would be his first time taking away a woman's innocence.

He reached for her and pulled her into his embrace. Gently he tilted her face and pressed his lips against her. It was a soft kiss, no passion whatsoever. He knew he needed to take it slow, but something in him was starting to break. Thinking it was his impatience, he decided to increase the intensity of the kiss.

"Open your mouth."

Sakura heard or she should say felt Sasuke whisper those words against her lips. Gently she opened her mouth and was shocked to feel Sasuke's tongue slightly brush her lower lip. She froze, not sure what she should do.

"Don't worry, just follow my lead."

With that, Sasuke continued his assault on her mouth. After a few minutes of kissing, Sakura began to understand what she should do and tentatively reciprocated Sasuke's kiss.

Sasuke smiled in response. It seemed she was starting to get the hang of it. Seizing the opportunity, he deepened the kiss, which surprised her at first, but she quickly caught on. The two of them continued to taste each other and as seconds turned to minutes, Sasuke felt a haze of passion begin to blur his vision. It was time he started moving things along. Gently, he withdrew from Sakura and looked at her usual clear green eyes cloud over with lust. The feeling he had felt earlier grew stronger as he continued to look at her.

"Sasuke?"

"Take off your dress."

Silently, Sasuke watched as Sakura slipped off her nightgown, allowing it to fall in a pool of silk around her feet. She looked ethereal in the moonlight which caused his pulse to quicken. Trying to contain himself, Sasuke focused on taking off his shirt. Thinking it was best to not look at her, Sasuke turned away from her. Just as he felt the cool night air brush against his bare back, he felt something soft brush against his spine. Not even daring to turn around, Sasuke allowed Sakura to press herself against him and wrap her arms around his waist. He looked down and saw her long tapered fingers splayed against his bare flesh. Images of what she could do with those fingers raced through Sasuke's mind, causing him to mutter a curse as he turned to face her. With a slight push Sakura landed on Sasuke's bed and he proceeded to climb on top of her.

"Oh..."

"What is it?"

Curiosity coursed through Sasuke as he heard the awe in her voice.

"Nothing...really..."

Sasuke continued to hold Sakura's gaze until she tore her eyes away from him. Another blush colored her face bringing some life into her ivory complexion. A smile played on his lips as he lowered himself to gently brush the nape of her neck. He could feel her shiver of pleasure as he continued to leave a trail of kisses over her collarbone to the curve of her breast.

"Ah..."

The soft moan escaped from Sakura's lips and filled Sasuke's mind as he proceeded to use his mouth to caress her body. He wanted to hear more of those sounds from her. As Sasuke continued his advances on Sakura, something inside of him changed. This was different from the other girls he had been with. He couldn't really understand why, but he knew it just was.

* * *

Sakura woke up to find Sasuke's arm draped over her waist. A smile played on her lips as she recalled what had occurred hours earlier. For a few minutes, Sakura took in the sight of Sasuke, peacefully asleep without his usual cold expression on his face. She would savor this moment, even though she had promised she would leave him alone. Tears began to blur her vision as she realized her time was up. Gently, she lowered her face towards Sasuke and brushed a kiss against his lips. A teardrop landed on his face as Sakura sat up and looked at him one last time.

"Thank you."

With that phrase Sakura got up from the bed and retrieved her clothes. Quickly she dressed herself and walked over to the open window. The sun was about to rise, signaling the start of a new day. Sakura realized that it had been a while since she was able to watch the sunrise. With a heave, she lifted herself out of Sasuke's window and climbed down to the sidewalk. With a quick check to make sure no one saw her, she started strolling down the streets of Konoha. In a matter of hours, the streets would be filled with kids chasing after one another. The smells of ramen would fill the air and Naruto would probably run over to Ichiraku's shop with Kakashi and Sasuke in tow. She could already see it happening. Hopefully Naruto and Sasuke won't get in fight, although that was highly unlikely. An impulse came over Sakura and she decided to take a little detour. Within a few seconds, she was in front of the ramen shop. It was dark and empty, but that didn't stop her from walking in. She smiled as she saw the familiar counters and stools, recalling all of the wonderful memories she had with team 7. She would never forget them.

In the midst of her recollection, a sharp sudden pain had Sakura grasping at her chest. This was her cue to leave. Assuming a brisk pace, Sakura made her way down the streets of Konoha until she arrived at the Konoha hospital.

"Sakura!"

Surprise was apparent on her face as she saw her sensei walking towards her. She had a furious expression on her face that was tainted with concern.

"Lady-Tsunade..."

"Where have you been? You know it is dangerous for you to be going out in your current condition. Especially since it has taken a turn for the worse."

"I know...but I couldn't help myself."

"Where were you?"

"I had to say...goodbye to someone important."

Tsunade quickly walked over to Sakura and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Don't talk like that! There is still a chance..."

"Lady-Tsunade, I'm not scared anymore."

Tsunade stopped mid-sentence to look down at Sakura. Her green eyes were smiling back at her and she had a rosy glow about her. She only had to put two and two together to know where Sakura had went and what she did.

"Sakura..."

"I know these past few months have been hard on you, and I know you've tried your best, but there is nothing else we can do...It's time and I'm ready."

Tears were forming in Tsunade's eyes as she continued to look at her pupil. Sakura had seen those tears and reached out to embrace Tsunade.

"Thank you for everything."

Tsunade returned Sakura's embrace and allowed the tears to fall from her amber eyes.

"You are welcome."

Sakura smiled as she took comfort in Tsunade's arms. The pain in her chest was growing stronger and she was starting to feel very tired. Just as she was about to close her eyes, the sun began to rise causing Sakura to keep her eyes open for a little longer. As she took in the magnificent sight of the sunrise in Konoha, she knew that her time was up. Slowly her eyes began to close as she fell into the cold embrace of death's hands. A smile etched itself on her face for the last time just as the sun's rays tried to warm her cold cheeks as if it was vainly trying to bring her back to life.

"Sakura? SAKURA?!"

Tsunade felt Sakura's body go limp as she frantically tried to find a pulse. There was nothing. The streets of Konoha remained silent, save for the sobs of Tsunade who had lost another person she held dear to her.

* * *

Sasuke woke up expecting to find Sakura beside him, instead, he was greeted with an empty bed. Irritation swept through him as he realized she had left him after he had fulfilled his end of the bargain. He should be happy since he would finally have her out his hair, but he wasn't. Last night he had seen a side of Sakura that he didn't even know existed and he wanted to bring it out again. Now that he thought about it, he didn't like the idea of Sakura removing herself from his life. He just needed to go find her and tell her to forget about their deal.

Sasuke walked over to the bathroom to quickly shower and prepare for the day. His thoughts were still on Sakura, images from last night flashing through his mind. He was so preoccupied that he didn't hear a loud banging on his door. Quickly he finished his shower and wrapped himself in a towel as he walked over to answer the door. He was surprised to see Naruto with a somber expression on his face.

"What is it?"

Naruto briefly made eye contact with Sasuke and he could see Naruto's eyes were red from crying. Something was very wrong.

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke, get dressed."

Sasuke was surprised to see Kakashi appear behind Naruto. His expression gave nothing away.

"Not until you tell me what is going on."

"It's...Sakura..."

Sasuke immediately turned his attention to Naruto as he heard him mutter Sakura's name. He reached out to grab Naruto by the shoulders and roughly shook him.

"What about Sakura?"

"She's dead."

Kakashi's flat voice delivered the shocking news. Sasuke was too stunned to respond. How could she be dead? They had spent the night together.

"What do you mean...how?"

Sasuke's voice sounded hoarse as he tried to contain the emotions that were whirling inside of him.

"She has been sick for months. Apparently, she had gone in for a checkup after a mission and they found out that her heart had been damaged. She didn't have that much time left."

"No. I can't accept this."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with wonder in his eyes. He made it quite obvious that he only tolerated Sakura's presence, so why was he suddenly so concerned about her?

"We will leave you alone for a bit, but hurry up and get ready. Tsunade is waiting for us."

Sasuke didn't even realize that Kakashi had left. Only Naruto was standing outside staring at him.

"I didn't expect you to react like this."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know...I mean, you were always saying she was annoying and all..but now your acting as if you just lost your loved one."

"Leave."

Sasuke's cold tone didn't surprise him at all. That's the tone he took when he didn't like what someone was saying. Knowing it was no use talking to him now, Naruto turned to leave.

"Hurry up. Tsunade's waiting."

* * *

"I'm sorry to meet you three under these circumstances."

"It's alright, but can you please elaborate what happened with Sakura?"

Tsunade brief glanced at Kakashi and turned her gaze to Naruto and Sasuke. One was solemn while the other was sulking in the corner.

"Very well. Sakura came to see me a few months back and she was complaining about some chest pain. When I examined her, I found out that her heart was shutting down. I couldn't fix it...she didn't have much time left."

"Why weren't we informed about this?"

"She didn't want any of you to know."

"Why? We're her team members!"

"Because she didn't want you guys to feel sorry for her and she didn't want you to worry about her. If it is any consolation...she said she was ready."

"Wait...she knew that last night was going to be the last time she saw anyone?"

"Yes, I found her in the morning walking back to the hospital. She...died in my arms."

Tsunade paused a moment to brush away a tear.

"I need Kakashi and Naruto to break the news to Sakura's parents. Sasuke, I would like to have a word with you."

Tsunade waited until Kakashi and Naruto had left before she turned to address Sasuke.

"She went to see you last night."

Sasuke looked up in surprise. He didn't think anyone would know about what had happened between them.

"No, she didn't tell me what happened...but I did have a conversation with her before she died. She said she wanted to say goodbye to an important person. I assume that would be you?"

"I...I guess."

Tsunade considered him for a bit before she got up from her desk and walked over to hand him a letter. His name was written on the envelope.

"Well, you are."

Sasuke took the envelope and felt his hands shake a little as he took out the letter.

"Sasuke, I want to apologize for last night. I know it was unexpected and truthfully, I didn't think you would agree, but you did. For that I will be forever grateful. Now, it's time to fulfill my end of the bargain. Just know that I will always love you..."

Silence filled the room as Sasuke finished reading the letter. Without even looking at Tsunade he turned and exited the room. He was able to contain himself until he reached his house, but once inside all of the emotions that were pent up exploded inside of him. With an angry cry, Sasuke grabbed whatever he could and flung it across the room. He was blinded by an unexplainable pain and rage, not even realizing what he was doing. It wasn't until he heard the sound of glass shatter did he calm down enough to see what he had broke. He walked over to his desk and found a picture frame faced down on the ground. Sasuke pushed the frame away and brushed the shards of glass off the picture that he had secretly cherished. His eyes roved over the familiar faces of Naruto, Kakashi, and himself until he finally came across Sakura's face. She was the only one smiling in the picture. The familiar sensation of pain swept through him as he realized this was the only way he would be able to see her smile. Tears blurred his vision as memories of the past and last night seized him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Sobs raked through Sasuke as he clutched the picture against his heart. The pain was too unbearable as he realized he had left too many things unsaid.

* * *

"You know the saying where you never realize how important something is until you lose it... well, goddamn whoever said it, because they're right."


End file.
